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Umoja reports critical-standards violation after youth drove van; program submits plan of correction
Summary
Umoja reported a critical-standards incident this winter in which a youth moved a program vehicle while a staff member briefly left the van. Umoja has submitted and begun implementing a plan of correction and updated training and policies, the council was told.
Umoja notified the Buncombe County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council of a critical-standards report stemming from a winter incident in which a youth who had completed a JCPC program portion moved a program vehicle while a staff member briefly left the van.
Lorraine Williams, JCPC consultant, described the incident and the council’s review process. She said program staff gathered information and that Umoja “have come up with a very extensive plan of correction and are working through that plan now and have updated some of their policies and training as a result of that.” Williams said the program’s plan of correction has been reviewed and accepted by JCPC consultants.
The incident: Williams said a staff member left a vehicle to retrieve another person; while the staffer was outside the vehicle a youth in the van drove around the parking lot and then parked the vehicle. An observer reported the movement and the situation did not escalate beyond that where it was parked. Williams noted the event “could have been something that could have gone awry and led to something more serious,” and described the council’s standard follow-up process for critical incidents.
Follow-up and training: Council staff said they requested documentation of the steps Umoja took, verified the program followed its internal policies and assessed whether those policies met JCPC minimum standards. Richard Caro (representing Umoja) thanked staff and said Umoja has provided additional training and policy review. Council staff will track completion of Umoja’s corrective actions and report back once the plan is fully implemented.
Why it matters: Critical-standards reports are part of JCPC oversight of contracted programs and are meant to ensure youth safety and policy compliance. The council treats such incidents as opportunities for corrective action and additional training rather than as automatic contract termination.
Next steps: JCPC staff will monitor Umoja’s corrective-action timeline and confirm the program’s completion of required training and policy updates. The council was told it will be notified when Umoja completes all steps in its plan of correction.
